Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Is Self-Reflection So Important?BenefitsWhen Self-Reflection Becomes UnhealthyHow to Practice Self-ReflectionWhat to Do If Self-Reflection Makes You UncomfortableIncorporating Self-Reflection Into Your Routine

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Why Is Self-Reflection So Important?

Benefits

When Self-Reflection Becomes Unhealthy

How to Practice Self-Reflection

What to Do If Self-Reflection Makes You Uncomfortable

Incorporating Self-Reflection Into Your Routine

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How well do you know yourself? Do you think about why you do the things you do? Self-reflection is a skill that can help you understand yourself better.

Self-reflection involves being present with yourself and intentionally focusing your attention inward to examine your thoughts, feelings, actions, and motivations, saysAngeleena Francis, LMHC, executive director for AMFM Healthcare.

Active self-reflection can help grow your understanding ofwho you are, what values you believe in, and why you think and act the way you do, saysKristin Wilson, MA, LPC, CCTP, RYT, chief experience officer for Newport Healthcare.

This article explores the benefits and importance of self-reflection, as well as some strategies to help you practice it and incorporate it into your daily life. We also discuss when self-reflection can become unhealthy and suggest some coping strategies.

Self-reflection is important because it helps you form a self-concept and contributes toward self-development.

Builds Your Self-Concept

Self-reflection is critical because it contributes to your self-concept, which is an important part of your identity.

Yourself-conceptincludes your thoughts about your traits, abilities, beliefs, values, roles, and relationships. It plays an influential role in your mood, judgment, and behavioral patterns.

Reflecting inward allows you to know yourself and continue to get to know yourself as you change and develop as a person, says Francis. It helps you understand and strengthen your self-concept as you evolve with time.

Enables Self-Development

Self-reflection also plays a key role in self-development.“It is a required skill forpersonal growth,” says Wilson.

Being able to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, or what you did right or wrong, can help you identify areas for growth and improvement, so you can work on them.

For instance, say you gave a presentation at school or work that didn’t go well, despite putting in a lot of work on the project. Spending a little time on self-reflection can help you understand that even though you spent a lot of time working on the project and creating the presentation materials, you didn’t practice giving the presentation. Realizing the problem can help you correct it. So, the next time you have to give a presentation, you can practice it on your colleagues or loved ones first.

Or, say you’vejust broken upwith your partner. While it’s easy to blame them for everything that went wrong, self-reflection can help you understand what behaviors of yours contributed to the split. Being mindful of these behaviors can be helpful in other relationships.

Without self-reflection, you would continue to do what you’ve always done and as a result, you may continue to face the same problems you’ve always faced.

Benefits of Self-Reflection

These are some of the benefits of self-reflection, according to the experts:

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Self-reflection is a healthy practice that is important for mental well-being. However, it can become harmful if it turns into rumination, self-criticism, self-judgment,negative self-talk, and comparison to others, says Wilson.

Here’s what that could look like:

Kristin Wilson, LPC, CCTPLooking inward may activate your inner critic, but true self-reflection comes from a place of neutrality and non-judgment.

Kristin Wilson, LPC, CCTP

Looking inward may activate your inner critic, but true self-reflection comes from a place of neutrality and non-judgment.

When anxious thoughts and feelings come up in self-reflection, Wilson says it’s important to practiceself-compassionand redirect your focus to actionable insights that can propel your life forward. “We all have faults and room for improvement. Reflect on the behaviors or actions you want to change and take steps to do so.”

It can help to think of what you would say to a friend in a similar situation. For instance, if your friend said they were worried about the status of their job after they gave a presentation that didn’t go well, you would probably be kind to them, tell them not to worry, and to focus on improving their presentation skills in the future. Apply the same compassion to yourself and focus on what you can control.

If you are unable to calm your mind of racing or negative thoughts, Francis recommends seeking support from a trusted person in your life or a mental health professional. “Patterns of negative self-talk,self-doubt, or criticism should be addressed through professional support, as negative cognitions of oneself can lead to symptoms of depression if not resolved.”

Wilson suggests some strategies that can help you practice self-reflection:

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You may avoid self-reflection if it brings up difficult emotions and makes you feel uncomfortable, says Francis. She recommends preparing yourself to get comfortable with the uncomfortable before you start.

Think of your time in self-reflection as a safe space within yourself. “Avoidjudgingyourself while you explore your inner thoughts, feelings, and motives of behavior,” says Francis. Simply notice what comes up and accept it. Instead of focusing on fears, worries, or regrets, try to look for areas of growth and improvement.

“Practice neutrality and self-compassion so that self-reflection is a positive experience that you will want to do regularly,” says Wilson.

Francis suggests some strategies that can help you incorporate self-reflection into your daily routine:

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5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nowak A, Vallacher RR, Bartkowski W, Olson L.Integration and expression: The complementary functions of self-reflection.J Pers. 2022;10.1111/jopy.12730. doi:10.1111/jopy.12730American Psychological Association.Self-concept.Dishon N, Oldmeadow JA, Critchley C, Kaufman J.The effect of trait self-awareness, self-reflection, and perceptions of choice meaningfulness on indicators of social identity within a decision-making context.Front Psychol. 2017;8:2034. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02034Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence.Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045American Psychological Association.Rumination.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nowak A, Vallacher RR, Bartkowski W, Olson L.Integration and expression: The complementary functions of self-reflection.J Pers. 2022;10.1111/jopy.12730. doi:10.1111/jopy.12730American Psychological Association.Self-concept.Dishon N, Oldmeadow JA, Critchley C, Kaufman J.The effect of trait self-awareness, self-reflection, and perceptions of choice meaningfulness on indicators of social identity within a decision-making context.Front Psychol. 2017;8:2034. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02034Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence.Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045American Psychological Association.Rumination.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Nowak A, Vallacher RR, Bartkowski W, Olson L.Integration and expression: The complementary functions of self-reflection.J Pers. 2022;10.1111/jopy.12730. doi:10.1111/jopy.12730American Psychological Association.Self-concept.Dishon N, Oldmeadow JA, Critchley C, Kaufman J.The effect of trait self-awareness, self-reflection, and perceptions of choice meaningfulness on indicators of social identity within a decision-making context.Front Psychol. 2017;8:2034. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02034Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence.Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045American Psychological Association.Rumination.

Nowak A, Vallacher RR, Bartkowski W, Olson L.Integration and expression: The complementary functions of self-reflection.J Pers. 2022;10.1111/jopy.12730. doi:10.1111/jopy.12730

American Psychological Association.Self-concept.

Dishon N, Oldmeadow JA, Critchley C, Kaufman J.The effect of trait self-awareness, self-reflection, and perceptions of choice meaningfulness on indicators of social identity within a decision-making context.Front Psychol. 2017;8:2034. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02034

Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence.Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045

American Psychological Association.Rumination.

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